The Next Chapter: Day 491

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Day 491 - Aruba

Posted by Jill Marie

We had a fabulous day in Aruba! This morning, our 3 stop snorkeling tour found us on board a beautiful old wooden sailboat or schooner. The Jolly Pirate was the name of the boat. We snorkeled first at the shipwreck site of the Atilla, a WWII German freighter that sunk just off the coast. There were plenty of fish & you could see quite a bit of the ship. The waves were a little rough, so snorkeling was mildly challenging.

Our second & third stops showed us coral, rocks, sand & of course, plenty of fish. I spotted 5 or 6 small squid, which I hadn’t seen before. Squid row was the phrase that came to mind. Sad, I know, but it made me laugh!

On the second stop, the crew blew the whistle for us to come back on board & we all did. Except for Dad2. The crew had removed the ladder & were ready to take off when they realized he wasn’t on board. We had to put the ladder back down & let him climb on board!

We met Cesar, the Watch Specialist from the Sea Princess. He had been on our tour in Grenada, so we enjoyed a visit with him. He is from Brasil & loves life! What’s not to love!?

After our third stop, the crew lowered a rope swing & the guests could swing off the ship & splash into the ocean. M&D2 went, as did Cesar. I did not. I took photos & video of their adventures. Everyone had a wonderful time!

The water is simply stunning in Aruba. The colours are VERY hard to beat! None of us wanted the trip to end. As we sailed back to meet the Banana Bus & return to the ship, we couldn’t help but marvel at the changing colours of the water. Wow.

Once we were back at the terminal, M&D2 decided to go shopping. I went back onboard & checked to see if Jaco was able to come ashore with me. He was still busy, so I went back off the ship & found my way to Wema, the hardware store. I picked up a blender, a food processor, a garlic press & a whisk. For $200. Back home, the blender would have cost $40, the food processor $20, the whisk $10 & the garlic press $10. Welcome to the isolation of the Caribbean. I guess I should have brought the Magic Bullet with me. Hindsight 20/20.

I walked back from Wema with my raw cooking appliances & left them on the ship. I went back out to see if I could find M&D2. No luck there, but I did pick up some sweets for Jaco, as well as an iced coffee for myself. Last year Jaco & I shared an iced coffee at the same place. This is my 2^nd coffee in a year. Both of them have been in Aruba. Safe to say I’m not an addict!

I also found some butterflies in the same shop as I did last year. I usually collect them from Panama, but seeing as we’re not stopping in Panama & they are the same frame here, I picked up a frame today. They will go wonderfully with my collection!

This evening I made Thai noodles with my brand new blender. The sauce was quite garlicky, but yummy nonetheless. I took it with me to the pizzeria where M&D2 were enjoying dinner. Even the Waiters commented on the strong garlic smell! Jaco liked the noodles too!

Tomorrow is another sea day. I suspect I will do some more uncooking & see what I can whip up!

xxxxMaria